1This is a continuation of "The Ties That Blind." In this story Devlin teams up with his sister Elektra and Gypsy vampire Jeta to take on Buffy and her Slayers. Along the way, they enlist just about every powerful vampire in the world as they fight to avoid extinction. Everybody takes part in this world war, including Angel, who teams up with Buffy in the climactic fight. Pretty much everyone from both shows makes an appearance, including Cordelia, who offers Buffy some unwanted assistance.
The story begins in Season Five between "Smile Time" and "A Hole in the World." The title refers to Newton's Third Law of Motion: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." The point is that Willow's spell changed the world so fundamentally that there has to be blowback in the form of radically altered vampire behavior. Elite vampires will now group together for safety. But this only buys time, and time is not on their side, since the number of Slayers increases daily. Devlin thinks he's found a way to destroy Buffy's organization before it's too late, and for this reason he becomes leader, even though he's nowhere near the strongest or the oldest or the one with the biggest wrinklies.
Interspersed throughout the story are flashbacks to Devlin's and Debbie's time together, explaining how they met and fell in love, as well as flashbacks to Devlin's and Elektra's "childhood" with Spike and Drusilla.
For the record, Devlin doesn't think he can defeat the Slayers by just shooting them. His grand plan doesn't involve firearms at all.
Enjoy. And comment. Even if you don't enjoy, comment.
"Cowards."
"They are evil," a confused Xander reminds Buffy.
"They're supposed to bite people. Not shoot them. That's a human thing."
"You're right," Giles concurs. "This is unprecedented. Slayers aren't supposed to get shot at."
"Not that it hasn't stopped them in the past," Xander points out.
"This was different," Buffy counters, contrasting it with her own experiences. "The police said there were three shooters. They surrounded Jan - "
"Jen," Giles gently corrects.
"And executed her. In the middle of Central Park. Three on one, and they need guns."
"I suppose it's a perverse tribute," Giles comments. "No it's not. It's alarming."
"What do we do? Give the Slayers bulletproof vests," Xander half-jokes.
"This won't spread," Giles predicts. "Vampires who kill this way will not get an ounce of respect from their peers."
"Saved by peer pressure," Buffy sighs. Things had seemed so bright. Until Rona and Vi were killed last weekend. Now this. Dawn sticks her head in.
"It's Juanita. From New York." Buffy leaps up and takes the cordless phone.
"What? You're quitting?"
"Not quitting. Goin' solo. Not like I have a choice now, ya know?"
"You have us. We'll send someone else. We'll send two more. Three, soon. We know New York's a big city and you could use the help."
"I don't need 'em. I can handle myself. And if they front like the ones that whacked Jen, I got friends in my neighborhood who can take care of that, too."
"You're bringing outsiders into this? You're risking your friends?"
"Ain't that what you did?" Buffy takes a few seconds to respond.
"That was different. That was completely different. I didn't have an army. You do. You don't need to risk outsiders."
"Look, no offense, but maybe you're the outsider." This infuriates and baffles Buffy.
"I trained you. I took you and I made you into a Slayer and gave you the power."
"And I'm thankful. Thank you. But now I need to go home."
"You are home."
"No I'm not. My friends, my school, my family: that's home. You want me, I'll be in Washington Heights. But don't come looking. I'll call you. Sorry. I really am, Buffy." Her expression turns crestfallen. She was being abandoned.
"What is it," Giles asks, wanting to speak to Juanita. Buffy hurls the phone to the floor, shattering it.
"Okay, that can't be good," Xander comments.
Devlin meets in the sewer with Lon, a tall, dark demon who looks too dignified for this setting and far too powerful to be seeking help from such a petty-looking vampire. But desperate times called for undignified measures.
"Never in my worst nightmares did I think it could get like this."
"It's horrible living in fear," Devlin says.
"The fear's not the worst part. It's the humiliation. They're taking the Hellmouth, they're making it their own, and they're having fun doing it. They laugh as they drive us out of our homes. They think we'll let them take this town from us, that we're too scared to rise up, or too weak even if we're not." The humans had become so cocky that the area immediately surrounding the Hellmouth, long ceded to the demons, was now being developed for commercial and residential use. They could hear the bulldozers above ground going about their work.
"The occupation will be over in two days," Devlin promises grandiosly. "Just do what I say." Lon grabs Dev's throat.
"I don't take orders from a half-breed." He throws Devlin to the ground. Dev gets up and chuckles.
"Enough of this pure-breed Nazi talk. And you wonder why the humans are in control." Dev lights up a cigarette. "Two nights. And we work apart, so they think you're still in charge. Which you will be. I'll just be providing some suggestions, which you'll accept, if they're good. Which they will be. Here's the first one: decide which demons you want to live, because most of them are gonna die." Lon looks like he's about to get violent again. "Don't worry. I have my own list for the vampires. Suffering will be equal, win or lose. Cause if we lose, we're all dead. Half and pure-breeds. The Slayers don't care."
Sitting in that crowded lecture hall, Connor felt alone. There was only one person he cared about, only one thing that could keep his attention. And it wasn't Kant and the Categorical Imperative. It was Debbie. He barely knew her, yet he was in love with her. Her golden skin. Her flowing curls. Her perfect body and glowing eyes. Her grace and kindness and sweetness. He'd never felt this way about anyone. Yes, her boyfriend was an asshole, and it spoke poorly of her that she had chosen to be with him. But she had always been nice in their brief moments together. And relationships didn't last forever. He knew that all too well, meeting Debbie the night after he found out Stacey had been cheating on him.
Meanwhile, forty miles south, Debbie was dealing with having dumped Devlin after he betrayed her by killing Vi. She tried being a shut-in, but couldn't take it. So now she prowls the streets of Orange County at night looking for vampires to kill. Orange County's streets aren't exactly pedestrian friendly, so she'd probably do better driving around to the various feeding spots. But those were empty anyway because she and Dev had killed all the local vampires, the rest were too intimidated to enter her territory. Even Los Angeles, where Angel had used Wolfram & Hart's resources to crack down, seemed safer to them. Soon they'd realize Devlin had changed sides and return. Then she might need Angel's help. Fortunately, he was already there, trying to make sure Deb didn't revert to her delinquent ways. He came to her house the previous night, so Debbie knew what to suspect when she realized someone was shadowing her. She tosses a knife behind her. Angel catches it in front of his chest. A second knife hits his right thigh.
"Can't think of anything better to do than stalk teenage girls," she asks as she rushes over. She twists the knife in his thigh and pulls it out. Angel grimaces.
"Not girls," he replies defensively. "Just you," he fibs.
"I don't need you help. I can kill vampires just fine on my own. I'm a Slayer."
"That's not why I'm here." She groans.
"Oh no. Not this again. My soul doesn't need saving. I'm not evil. I'm not going evil. I just broke up with my boyfriend because he turned evil. Which means I'm going the opposite way."
"I noticed your friends aren't with you this time." When he first came to Laguna Hills with Spike, they were ambushed by them.
"I don't wanna bore them."
"You shouldn't be alone right now."
She pulls out her stake. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not looking for any more vampire companionship. But I am looking to get out a little aggression." Angel takes a step back as she lunges forward. "And in case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't really care whether the vampire has a soul."
"Look, Deb, I'm glad you're out here. I'm happy you're still fighting the good fight." She rolls her eyes at what sounds to her like a hokie, earnest cliche from a hokie, earnest vampire.
"How come no one ever says they're fighting the bad fight? I'm just saying."
"I know how tough it is to go through what you're going through."
"Really," she responds skeptically, raising her eyebrows. "Is that so?"
"Okay, not personally," Angel wisely concedes. If anything, he understands this situation from Devlin's point of view. "But I know what it's like to want to give up."
"Do I look like I'm giving up?" She stabs the stake in his direction. Angel grabs it before it reaches his chest and spins her around.
"You're going through the motions. We both know there's no vampires out here."
"Yeah. They're in Los Angeles. Where you're supposed to be killing them with your boyfriend Spike."
"Spike is not my - okay, that was immature."
"I'm seventeen."
"Even for seventeen."
"Right. You know a lot about seventeen year-old girls. How old are you? Like, 35?"
"Okay, I get it. You want me to get lost. But I'm not giving up on you, Debbie."
"Do I have to be nice to you cause you gave me that scholarship? You're not gonna take it away?"
"Of course not. So how is school?"
"Please stop trying to be my father."
"You don't like me, do you, Debbie?"
"No. I find you funny. All this good-and-evil, white cowboy crap. That's not how the world works," she adds condescendingly, sounding worldly as only the inexperienced can, which Angel finds humorous.
"I fight evil by running an evil law firm. I think I know something about the complexities of life."
"Then why don't you act like it? Oh, and while you're at it, stop trying to get inside my head. Just cause you fucked one Slayer doesn't mean you know them all. Devlin told me you'd think I just want to be a normal girl, because that's what superheroes in the comic books want. Well I don't. I've never been a normal girl. Maybe when I was eight. But not much since then. I like my powers. I don't feel they come with some special responsibility. And I don't want to be part of anyone's crusades. Yours or Buffy's." Angel senses the lingering influence of Devlin, but also that maybe she really does want someone to talk to who could understand. She does. Just not him.
"I don't think you need me. That's not why I'm here," he assures her. Debbie laughs.
"You think I thought that? No. You think I thought you thought . . . you're right. Otherwise, why would you come all this way? You got a job and a girlfriend and all up north." Angel's alarmed at her knowledge of his personal life, but then remembers she knows this because Deb and Dev went on that mission to help protect Nina and Oz. "Or, you're trying to recruit me to your evil organization that does good. Sorry. Already got my own." She puts up the hood of her jacket and walks away.
"Debbie, wait." She turns around, but looks impatient, pointing her stake in his direction to show this.
"If you ever need any help - a demon infestation, something too big for you and your friends to handle (he's still hypocritically alarmed she brought her friends into this) - "
"I know. Just call. I still got your card." He smiles. "By the way, you're lucky you're not Spike. Then I'd have killed you. Unless he gave me five grand like you did. No, make it ten. I don't like him." Angel smiles as she runs off. But the talk of extortion and protection money does worry him, since it smacks of Devlin and his mercenary ways.
As the stereo blares Public Enemy's "Party For Your Right To Fight," Elektra dances, surrouned by the male vampires. She pulls them in and keeps them at bay with the coquettish glances of her bright blue eyes, as well as her lithe swaying body, hugged by white leather pants and a powder-blue halter top. She shimmies around the floor, just to show that she can make them follow her, increasing the jealousy of the other female vampires who believe they're just as pretty. One of the vampires, Kat, who is quite pretty, but holds no grudge against Leks after watching her kill Rona, rushes up to Devlin, who eyes the scene dispassionately, pacing the floor in his black jeans, black tank top and black trench coat. "You're back," she yells, hugging him. "How was New York?"
"Not as good as I remembered it. But I did bring gifts." He reaches into a coat pocket and pulls out a diamond bracelet. Her jaw drops.
"For me?" She can't believe it. Diamonds. And she hadn't even slept with him.
"For surviving all these Slayers all this time." He puts it around her right wrist and kisses her hand. She impulsively kisses him on the lips and runs her fingers through his slicked-back black hair.
"I don't know what to say."
"You've said plenty," he responds with a smirk, referring to her reaction. She opens her mouth, closes her eyes and leans in to kiss the man who drove a stake through Vi's heart, but he takes a step back. Then he pulls out a thousand dollars in each hand and spreads out the $20 bills like playing cards.
"What? You're shitting me?" He was being overly generous for no obvious reason.
"Money is the sinews of war. If you're gonna run this town, you'll need it."
"Excuse me? Maybe I didn't hear you right cause of the music. Did you say - ?"
"I have too many other towns to liberate. When I'm gone, you're in charge." She can't imagine how she'd get other vampires to follow her. She was herself just a follower. She had always been a follower. Vampires rarely moved from minion to leader. Devlin knew this, but he also knew the old system of stratification was Buffy's best friend. "I'll set up a bank account and wire you more as need be. Remember that vampires are cheap, demons even cheaper. I believe you can be a great leader Kat. I have faith in you. And so does Elektra." Like most female vampires Leks befriended, Kat liked to think of herself as the best pal and sidekick. Elektra was that great combination of party girl and protector. She'd show you a great time, and she'd save your life. So what if she also might steal your man?
"I don't know what to say," a shocked Kat responds.
"You're dropping some of the money." He gets down and picks it up for her. When he hands it over, their fingers touch, and she prepares to kiss him. Dev tilts his head to the left and points at the bracelet. "It looks good on you. Slayers will be too busy trying to steal it to stake you," he jokes. Then he just walks away, towards the demons, who remain segregated in the back of the room. Elektra rushes over to talk to her brother.
"What is wrong with you?"
"She deserves it."
"She deserves YOU. Kat practically threw herself at you. Who are you to reject her? I've seen your other girlfriends. She's so not beneath your standards."
"I'm busy. A gaggle of Slayers could come through that door at any moment."
"That's what the guards are for."
"Go back to your boys." They stare each other down. "I'm going to go cross the invisible barrier and mingle with the demon folk. It's like a sixth grade dance in here."
The demons do not warmly welcome the vampire interloper. So Dev pulls out two thousand more dollars and hands them to Lon. The demons quickly besiege Lon for a handout, ignoring Dev, as he hoped they would. Devlin then zeroes in on a feline-looking demon and pulls her tail. She scratches his face and bares her pointy teeth. Dev goes bumpy and growls. She reaches for his throat, but he grabs her wrist and tickles her stomach. She giggles, then throws him twenty feet back. He retreats into what used to be the foreman's office. She sticks out her forked tongue as she enters the room.
"Shut the door," Dev tells her, taking off his coat and shirt.
Outside, Spike discovered why the demons could party without a care when there were six Slayers in town. Dev had paid four teenagers with Uzis to patrol the perimeter. With only one entrance, their job seemed fairly easy. After preparing to get riddled with bullets, Spike has a better idea. It's a demon party after all. So Spike puts on his vampire face. The guards are under orders to allow all non-humans to pass. He makes it through without a hitch and pulls back the heavy metal door. "You call this a party," he yells out. The vampires at first don't recognize him, which annoys Spike. The demons recognize him as the vampire who killed their former leader the night before. But Lon holds them back. He wants the half-breeds to fight it out and waste their strength on each other.
"It's Spike," Kat quickly figures out.
"Finally! Someone recognizes me."
"Hello daddy," Elektra says. "Care for a dance for old time's sake. You always did love it when I danced," she adds with a smile.
"Anyone who wants to live can leave now," Spike announces. The vampires laugh. Spike laughs along, then lunges forward and snaps one of the vampire's necks. They mob him. He punches and throws four of them aside, bangs the heads of two more together, kicks one and stakes another.
Dev notices the music's stopped, and he's now the loudest thing in the room. The demons actually turn away from the vampire fight towards the sounds of bodies being smashed into walls in the office. Spike goes to stake Kat, but she is saved by Elektra's leaping right kick. The vampires swarm Spike while he's down, but he wriggles free, knocks down two more vampires and grabs another girl. Elektra grabs his right arm. Spike lets go of the other vampire and knocks Elektra down with a left hook. He pulls out another stake and throws it at a male vampire to his right. A shot rings out, and the bullet hits the stake, breaking it in two. Everyone turns in the direction of the shot, including Spike. But before he can lay eyes on Dev, his son puts a bullet in his father's crotch.
"Not daddy's goodies," Elektra shrieks.
"I missed the parts you like," Dev responds. He's shirtless and has deep punctures on his stomach, as well as scratches across his chest and shoulders.
"Actually, I liked all his parts. Before he went wrong." Elektra pulls out a throwing star from her pocket and aims it at Spike's face. Dev walks forward pointing his gun. Spike has to decide which one of his children he should pay the most attention to, and tries to keep his left eye on Dev and his right on Leks. The vampires ran when they heard the shots, knowing that was Dev's signal to stand down and let him take of things. They remain along the walls, watching this family reunion. None of them have been in families, so they find it novel.
"I see two piles of dust," Dev says as he approaches his father. "Maybe I should shoot out an eye for each vampire of mine you've killed."
"Maybe you could put down the bloody toy and we could walk outside and fight this out like men."
"Fine. Me and Leks and you. No Slayers. That's fair." Elektra smiles at the idea. She doesn't want to kill daddy. Just rough him up bad for all the pain he caused by leaving mummy for Buffy.
"You've never cared about fair," Spike responds, gesturing to the gun. "Let's just have a friendly father-son chat. You can bring the fire stick if it makes you feel all manly."
"Out," Dev orders. Spike backs up, and finds it difficult to walk without limping. "Party's back on." Dev orders. The music starts up again. Once outside, the two vampires slip away from the guards, so they can enjoy a little privacy.
"Did you have shoot me there?"
"You're lucky I have great aim. Otherwise I could have accidentally hit your vitals. Then Claire might get upset. That's her name right? The redhead? Does Buffy know about her? And do you know about Gonzalo?"
"None of you're bloody business. Gonzalo?" Dev chuckles.
"Italian-Spanish prince. Bourbon on both sides of his family. From what I hear, Buffy doesn't mind the in-breeding. I think Paris Match named him one of Europe's fifty most eligible bachelors. Don't worry. He has a dashing thing for fighting demons that should get him killed. Especially if I take an interest. Or would Buffy grieve too much and not move on back to you?"
"Right now she's too busy trying to kill you to care about much else."
"How do you know? Do the two of you talk? Does she even know you're alive?"
"You killed a Slayer. One of the ones she knew by name."
"And posted the video on the internet. That's the sort of thing it's hard to overlook."
"It's possible. If you had a soul." Devlin laughs. "I know you did the research."
"So the apparatchiks at Wolfram & Hart didn't keep my confidence. By the way, why aren't you working with them? Tired of playing Liam to Angel's Noel Gallagher?"
"I know you found a way to buy it back. I know you have the money. You always have the money. And Angel is not Noel Gallagher. If anything, I'm both, and he's the drummer, or something."
"What's the point of a soul? I can't get Debbie back."
"The point is to live. You're a marked man, son."
"I've been marked before."
"But not by Buffy."
"And her New Model Slayer Army. I don't care. I have no choice."
"Like bloody hell you don't."
"You know what this is about? You can't be proud of me! In the old days, I wasn't bad enough for you. Now I'm not good enough for you. Nothing I do is ever good enough." Dev reaches down to the holster above his left ankle and pulls out a second gun. "You bring any Slayers," he yells. "Come on out, girls. I'm waiting!" He fires a shot above Spike's head. A quarter mile away, Wood hears it.
"Let's move," he impatiently orders.
"We are not walking into an ambush," the police officer to his left says.
"They're gonna bolt," Kelly, standing to his right, predicts.
"Check it out," Robin orders. "If it's only the 'bangers, we move. But don't get seen."
"I'm not an idiot."
"Tell me son, why don't you just blow my brains out right here," Spike asks Dev.
"Where's the fun in that?"
"I thought I was the one who cared about fun. You've always been all business."
"Which you never approved of." Kelly hides behind a pile of dirt and observes the father-son bickering, which she finds incredibly strange. Almost as strange as she found Spike's relationship to Buffy back in Sunnydale.
"It's always my bloody fault," Spike responds.
"I did some great things. Stuff some people know about. I made a lot of powerful enemies. But you didn't care. I took over a major American city. But you weren't impressed. I made scads of money. But it didn't matter. Nothing was ever enough for you, dad!"
"Cuz I knew you could do better."
"No, you didn't! You never believed in me. Elektra was always the star."
"She developed at a different rate that you." Spike stops for a moment. "Okay, this is getting bloody ridiculous."
"I still don't matter to you."
"Of course you do! You think I'd come all this way to stop Leks? You're the one I care about. You're the one with potential. You can do a lot of bloody good, son. Or you can die. The choice is yours."
"Better to die than live as Buffy's slave. Then again, you tried to do both."
"Well, son. You finally could have made me proud. I'm sorry you didn't. Bloody shame for both of us."
"You don't know how bloody."
"Did I hear my favorite word," Elektra asks.
"Get back inside," Dev orders. Kelly really wishes she brought her crossbow.
"And be scared of something you're not?" Spike absorbs the insult. "So now you need a Slayer to back you up. Come to think of it, that's been your M.O. for the while." Kelly worries she's been spotted and stealthily retreats.
"Shouldn't you be making some boy happy? Or two, or three, or however many it takes to replace me."
"Five. Although two boys is enough if they've had a taste of Slayer's blood. Know where I can get some?"
"I'm surprised you don't have quibbles about working for your brother. He made it pretty clear he's in charge and you're the, what's that American word Dev used, sidekick?"
"Lame, daddy. Come on, bro. Let's go party. Nothing to fear out here." She turns around and walks back in. Dev backs up, guns pointed out, eyes peeled for crossbows. Spike runs off once his son is inside. He returns to find the Slayers and the cops already in motion.
"Spying on me now," he asks Robin.
"You don't really think I trust you."
"Lucky for us, the feeling's mutual."
"Get in the sewer."
"Wut about the attack?"
"Get in the sewer to cut off their escape."
"Just me?" Wood points a loaded crossbow handed to him by Gretchen at Spike's chest.
"Go ahead," Spike dares before turning his back and walking away. Robin hesitates before lowering the crossbow and joining the Slayers for the attack. Inside, Devlin quiet subdivides the vampires into three squads while having everyone pretend to continue partying. Elektra helps this along by sandwiching herself between the two cutest vampires. Dev starts dancing with a comely redhead who came to the Hellmouth knowing Rona and Vi were dead, but not knowing six more girls had taken their places. Elektra convinced her not to run by arguing that Slayers are everywhere and it's best to take a stand with a large group, preferably one led by Slayer killers.
Jeta sat at a corner booth while an attractive woman twice her age put her hand up her skirt. "You're an old soul," the woman tells her in Spanish.
"What makes you think I have a soul," Jeta responds with a smirk. She returns to scanning the crowd. The woman puts her right hand to Jeta's left cheek and makes her look in her direction.
"Is it another woman?"
"Many. None of whom I wish to see."
"Then why do you look?"
"If they come, it could get ugly. I want to protect you." The woman chuckles. She needs protection from this kid?
"What's your accent?"
"German."
"A German Gypsy?" She thought they had all perished.
"Yes. We're used to being hunted. Keeping an eye out is an old habit."
"You're safe. Let's dance."
"So you can show me off?"
"Nonsense." She kisses Jeta's long neck. "All eyes are already on you." Jeta knows how true that is. She leads her date by the hand to the dance floor. Jeta wears a long blue skirt and a yellow blouse, looking out of place, old-fashioned even. But not as out of place as the Slayers usually looked in these places. They were always so easy to spot, even if they weren't the only other teenagers. But now her eyes catch sight of a new girl. Short, plump, familiar. And she looks like she belongs. Jeta walks away from the woman, not even offering an explanation. The woman, frustrated, decides to wait. The Slayer and vampire meet. Jeta checks both exits. Another Slayer at each one. But these girls, as usual, look out of place.
"Want to dance," Jeta asks in all seriousness as she looks down. She touches the Slayer's face, who slaps the back of her hand.
"Pervert! I thought only the boys fell for us."
"You're special, Dorina."
"My name is Alma."
"No. It's still Dorina. Even after all this time." She touches Alma's short, curly hair. Alma punches her in the face. The older woman, watching from a distance, is shocked, as are the other women who see or hear it.
"Think you can seduce your way out?"
"Your friends did a good job of hiding. Better than the others."
"Nowhere to run, Yetta. Or fly."
"I'll teach you everything. It will be like before. But this time I will protect you." The confused Slayer tries a right uppercut. Jeta literally beats her to the punch, leaping backwards as if hit by a cartoonishly mighty blow. The crowd gasps. Jeta lands and races for the door, with Alma close behind. A Slayer blocks the front exit. She bends her knees and prepares for impact, because Jeta looks for all intents and purposes as if she's going to try to plow through her. Instead, when Jeta is two steps away, the Slayer flies ten feet straight up in the air. Jeta races out through the unguarded door. The Slayer falls down on the pursuing Alma. Jeta stops once she's outside, and waits for the two Slayers. Once they're in view, Jeta turns into a raven and flies away. Alma lets out a stream of Spanish profanity. The other Slayer wonders why she temporarily lost control of her body.
Dev has faith the guards will deter the Slayers. Leks decides to give them a pep talk, disappointing her dance partners. She runs out and approaches the youngest guard. "What's your name?"
"Leroy."
"I'm Elektra. My friends call me Leks. How old are you, Leroy?"
"Thirteen."
"So you've never been . . . touched? She sidles up to him, puts her right hand to his cheek and her left hand on his chest. "You've never been . . . experienced?" She pushes her body against his.
"Umm, ugh - "
"Hey get the hell back, white girl," the leader, all of seventeen, yells. "He's gotta job to do. A-ight, Leroy?"
"A-ight." She smiles at him. He smiles back.
"I love a man who knows how use a weapon," she whispers in Leroy's ear. Suddenly, four pairs of headlights shine on them.
"This is the police! Put down your weapons and leave the premises," the lead officer barks over a bullhorn. Elektra races inside. The two cute vampires rush up to her.
"Later. It's the cops!"
"What," her brother asks incredulously. This possibility had not occurred to him.
"Put down your weapons and leave the premises and you will not be arrested," he hears.
"Oh crap." The principal had outmaneuvered him.
"What," Kat asks nervously.
"Don't worry. You know what to do. Lek leads." Outside, four teenagers face off with the cops, not sure if they'll be executed if they drop their weapons. They can't see the cops in the dark, since the police stand behind their headlights. The Slayers get impatient. Leroy sweats and trembles. He's never been in anything even close to this. Fear of death mingles with thoughts of Leks. Then fear of death comes back. Leroy throws down his weapon. Two shots discharge from it. One hits a headlight. Four cops return fire. The other three young men stand there, trembling. Dev hears the fussilade.
"What the fuck."
"This is good, right," his sister asks.
"I suppose." Part of him is upset at the possibility of needless bloodshed caused by his machinations. "Let's go. Now!" The vampires feel safer together. Also, they expect Devlin to protect them.
Robin realizes what a mess he's made. Gretchen is also devastated. But the Slayers are unfazed.
"Cease fire!" the lead officer orders. He holsters his weapon, steps out in front of the headlights and slowly approaches the three boys with the Uzis. "It's okay." He holds up his hands. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm not gonna even arrest you. If you put down those guns. They glance to their right and see Leroy's bloody body. Part of them wants to revenge his death. The leader seriously thinks of blowing away the unarmed officer. But he knows what will happen after that, and doesn't want to die. He carefully puts down his weapon. The other two follow suit.
Without Wood's order, Kelly leads the Slayers in a full-on charge. They race right past Leroy's body without even looking. Getting the vampires who killed Rona and Vi is more important. Elektra's group is already underground. Kat's group is in the process of fleeing. The Slayers race towards the sewer access, but have to contend with some confused and angry demons whom Lon found it hard to control. The girls go to work slicing and dicing while Kat joins Lex. Kelly breaks through the demon mob and sees the last of the vampires escaping.
"Veronica," she calls out. This Slayer finishes off a demon and races towards the vamps. Only three remain. Dev points one gun at Kelly, who's holding the Scythe. He fires for her knee-cap, but the Scythe swings down almost on its own and the blade blocks the bullet. She's amazed at what her arms just did. So is Devlin. He doesn't realize he's now alone. Kelly charges, sure this vampire is responsible for a Slayer's death. Dev takes two steps back. Then he spots Veronica approaching out of the corner of his eye. He fires the gun in his right hand and hits her left foot. Kelly stops and looks over her shoulder.
"I'll take her with me," Dev promises to prevent Kelly from getting any closer with her weird weapon. Then he disappears down the hole. Once he's gone, part of Kelly wishes she'd taken him out. Veronica would've probably only been winged.
Outside, Robin rushes over to Leroy while Gretchen heads inside with two crossbows. She sees a chaotic demon slaughter, but no signs of vampires. The demon Dev was fooling around with rushes her. She drops one crossbow, calmly aims the other and puts an arrow in her right eye. When the demons stops and grabs it, she punches her in the nose. Kelly then beheads her from behind. The fight quickly winds down while Lon leads his close friends to safety. Things go silent. The slaughter is disgusting. Pools of red and green and orange blood. Various body parts piled up. "Damn," Kelly says. The same result as before: a massacre while the enemies they care about beat a tactical retreat. Their Watchers have other priorities for the moment.
"We should go back out there," Gretchen proposes.
"I'll go. You stay here with them." Normally, Wood would be suspicious of Rupert's girlfriend wanting to get close to the Slayers in his town. But not after what happened outside.
Down below, Spike recognized Elektra in the dark by her scent and grabbed her from behind, putting his right hand over her mouth so she couldn't alert the other vampires. Even Dev was too eager for escape to notice. Once they're alone, Spike drives her head into the wall. "Damn. For a second there, that was like one of my fantasies." Spike kicks her in the stomach and knees her in the face. "A gorgeous man plucks me out for some underground ravaging." She dodges a right hook. "Their moans echo up and down the tunnel." Spike lands a right hook to her face. "Not to be." Elektra tries a right cross. Spike grabs her arm, throws her face-first into the wall and takes out a stake, only to get clocked. It's Lon, eager to show his superiority to the last leader and get some payback. "Thanks. Sorry I can't repay you. No I'm not," Leks says before vanishing. She's very fast, even for a vampire.
Dev was eager to leave because he wanted to deal the Slayers a major blow. But he was in for a major disappointment. The principal's house was protected by two cop cars sitting out front. He hurried over to the parking lot of a nearby convenience store to join the vampires. Without telling them the bad news, Dev just says to follow him to safety. "Tomorrow, we shall taste blood, and the Slayers shall once again taste defeat!"